The Green Scam

For those of my readers who have been around my blog for quite some time, you all know I have some sort of soft spot for GoingGreen. I don’t buy organic and my house is the furthest from Green, or healthy for that matter. But, I do try. At any chance that I have to bring in more natural products, I do. But the real question is, where do I stop?

My problem is, aside from the expense of it all, I just always wonder how much of our Green and Organic is a scam, and how much is important for our bodies, health, and environment. I am all for all the latter, but how far do I go to aim for natural perfection.

I headed out on the No-Poo journey several months ago in the hopes for better hair. My hair is long, mid-back, and an absolute disaster. I had figured that no more damage could possibly come from chucking the chemical hair cleaners, only good. Or in worse case scenario the strands would remain the same.

Weeks turned into months and my hair was a sticky, tangled disaster. I tried the home-made mixes and the plain water rinses. Nothing helped the hair fibers heal. After a few months I found a wonderful company who would possibly help me survive this battle; Chagrin Valley Soaps.

After hours of reading reviews, they appeared to be reliable and to have amazing products; enough for me to give them a shot. 100 dollars and two weeks later I was holding my order with more excitement than a child Christmas morn. I had a package of goodies; natural, healthy, AND certified organic awesomeness.

I have to admit, the company is all it is hyped up to be. The body creams make your skin heavenly soft like butter. The deodorant is a must-have. I have tried natural deodorants before and had my fair share of emitting the awful, unpleasant sweat stench. Their deodorant, however, actually works. I have been using Tom’s of Maine for years because it was easy to get in any Wal-mart and it worked as long as it did not get too hot. If it got too hot, well, let’s just say you may need to make new friends after a marathon with your buddies.

This deodorant actually sealed away the smell. After a hot summer walk you couldn’t tell that I was not using one of the chemical pore cloggers. I got two herbal salves which work just as well in different ways. One for scarring and one for pimples. Where were they when I was a teenager? Who am I kidding, I am dealing with the same hormonal zit catastrophe now.

They have large bars of shampoo, conditioner, complexion and body soaps. It took me hours to choose, but I finally succeeded in getting lovely new additions to my daily cleanup and moisturizing routines. The kids’ hair flows like PantenePro-V commercials. Mine, well, mine is still a disaster. I am pretty sure there is nothing that can cure my follicular, root, and split end damage. I will keep attempting to save my hair but I am pretty sure we are done. Not even the Green People can perform a miracle like that.

I was so excited about being able to expand my natural possessions that I bought a car to pollute the air. After seven years of living without a car, I can promise you that my goal is definitely to pollute the air for all the years I have lost. I went out on the first day with my white Subaru beauty and bought out the natural cleaning section of a store. My dishwashing liquid, detergents, fabric softener, whitener, and all-purpose cleaner are now shining Green.

The laundry has been somewhat clean, at least it smells good. So it may not remove food stains; it’s Green, not perfect. The dishes are sparkling and my hands aren’t crying from possible chemical skin erosion. The all-purpose cleaner, on the other hand, is a whole different story. It smells like my children’s bubbles. It suds up on the table and makes the paper towel creamy and slip out of my hands. After several wipe-downs, the table has a shine and glaze across it.

I know the Green People are going to tell me like they told me with my hair.“No, you don’t understand. Tables are supposed to be slimy. The chemicals in all the cleaners are what strip the table of its natural shine.” I know, I, like many of the other deniers in the world, just don’t understand this Green World turnover. Hair is supposed to be greasy and sticky and clothing is supposed to be dirty. Chemicals just take all of what is natural in our lives and annihilates it completely.

So is the organic and natural food industry a scam? Are the cleaning products any less toxic? Are the fruits and veggies any healthier? Or are there no laws regulating green marketing, thereby allowing for undisclosed ingredients and lies on the present toxicities?

A Journey Through Momhood

Originally, I had planned on using this blog to swim through my ocean of talents and find the worthy one to use. I needed a job and still do. However, I have now chosen to be realistic and do what my passion is. I love to write about anything and pretty much to anyone. I am a mom and so I only have a limited time to pursue the writing craving. There is no prevalent theme and there is only occasional humor. It is a little bit of everything that makes up my life. Join me in my journey and feel free to comment.